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Piaroa language

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Piaroa
De'aruwa
Native toColombia and Venezuela
EthnicityPiaroa people
Native speakers
13,000–14,000 (2001)[1]
Piaroa–Saliban
  • Piaroan
    • Piaroa
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3pid
Glottologpiar1243
ELP

Piaroa (also called Guagua ~ Kuakua ~ Quaqua, Adole ~ Ature, Wo’tiheh) is an indigenous language of Colombia and Venezuela, native to the Huottüja people. Loukotka (1968) reports that it is spoken along the Sipapo River, Orinoco River, and Ventuari River.[2]

A Wirö language (commonly called Maco) is closely related, the two forming the Piaroan branch of the family.[3]

Phonology

[edit]
Consonants
Bilabial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
nor. lab. nor. lab.
Stop Plain p t k ʔ
Aspirated pʰ~ɸ kʰʷ
Ejective kʷʼ
Glottal ˀb ˀd
Affricate Plain t͡ʃ~t͡s
Aspirated t͡sʰ
Ejective t͡sʼ
Fricative s hˣʷ
Nasal m n
Flap/Lateral ɾ ʎ
Approximant j~dʲ w

Palatalization of /k, kʰ, kʼ, hˣ/ may occur when before front vowels as [kʲ, kʲʰ, kʲʼ, hʲ].

/pʰ/ may also be heard as a fricative [ɸ] in free variation.

Sounds /j/ and /t͡ʃ/ may have allophones of [dʲ, t͡s].

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i ɨ u ɯ
Mid e ɤ~o
Open æ ɑ~ɒ

Vowels /ɤ, ɑ/ are rounded as [o, ɒ] when after labial sounds.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Endangered Languages Project – Piaroa". Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  2. ^ Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
  3. ^ Zamponi, R. 2017 'Betoi-Jirara, Sáliban, and Hodɨ: relationships among three linguistic lineages of the mid-Orinoco region'. Anthropological Linguistics 59: 263-321.
  4. ^ Mosonyi, Esteban E. (2002). Elementos De Gramática Piaroa: Algunas Consideraciones Sobre Sus Clases Nominales (PDF).